Around the state: A Polk County charter school has closed, a federal judge has declined to shield Escambia school officials from testifying about their decisions to remove or restrict school library books, Florida has about two months to spend $18.9 million in federal funds to help homeless students, Florida’s Board of Education will consider approving a proposal Wednesday that will allow high school athletes to be compensated, Gadsden County school officials are offering up to $10,000 for certified teachers in certain subjects and schools, and Bay County schools are tightening enforcement of the student dress code this year. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: A deputy superintendent for the school district has been named the sole finalist for the superintendent’s job of the Henry County School District just south of the Atlanta metro area. The school board must wait two weeks, under Georgia law, to begin contract negotiations with John Pace III, who has worked in the Miami-Dade district for more than 20 years as a teacher, band director, principal and administrator. Henry County’s district is the eighth-largest in the state with 44,000 students. WAGA.
Broward: A security guard at William Dandy Middle School in Fort Lauderdale was arrested and accused of slamming a student into a concrete box during a fight Feb. 23. Police said Rubyne Burrows, 32, was charged with child abuse without great bodily harm. WSVN. WPLG.
Hillsborough: Special funding through the federal Title IIA grant program has been used by the school district to bolster teacher training to help struggling schools improve their grades from the state. In 2021-2022, the first year using the training, 11 of the 22 participating schools improved their state grade and only one dropped a grade. Learning Forward.
Palm Beach: The District 1 school board seat is open this year after incumbent Barbara McQuinn announced she would not be running for re-election. Candidates Matthew Jay Lane, Page Lewis and Francesca Wernisch talk about their backgrounds and qualifications for the office and what they’d like to accomplish if elected. If no one wins more than 50 percent of the vote in the Aug. 20 primary, the top two vote-getters advance to the Nov. 5 runoff. Palm Beach Post.
Polk: About 40 charter school students are looking for a new school after district officials confirmed the Polk Pre-Collegiate Academy in Winter Haven will not open for fall classes. The school had been operating since 2011, and served 9th- and 10th-graders. No reason for the closing was given, but officials estimated the academy owes the district about $22,500. “Our staff is reaching out to the impacted students and families and will help place them in our schools as needed,” said district spokesman Jason Geary. Lakeland Ledger.
Pasco, Hernando: Students can get free school supplies, vaccinations, physicals, information about after-school activities, entertainment and more at several back-to-school events scheduled over the next three weeks. Classes begin Aug. 12 in both Pasco and Hernando. Suncoast News.
Lake: Leesburg city commissioners approved a plan Monday to place speed detection cameras in school zones throughout the county. Drivers going 10 mph or more over the speed limit will be sent a $100 ticket in the mail. WKMG. WESH.
Collier: Two mothers of district students are protesting the use of their photo and its accompanying text by a school board candidate to attack her opponent. The photo shows Megan Titcomb and Amy Perwien holding awards they won as volunteers at the 2024 Miss Naples Pride Pageant. District 2 board candidate Pam Cunningham used the photo in a newsletter with a sentence that read “my opponent and her supporters on the radical left are fighting to fundamentally transform our schools into centers of progressive indoctrination, meanwhile allowing true education to wither.” Titcomb, Perwien and Cunningham are all Republicans. Cunningham’s opponent is incumbent Stephanie Lucarelli. Naples Daily News.
Marion: Monday was the first day of school at Wyomina Park Elementary School in Ocala. The school is participating in the state’s pilot program for year-round schooling. “Our school is full of learning and everyone went home safe this afternoon and we are so excited to represent the district as the very first year-round school program,” said principal Victoria Hunt. Ocala Star Banner.
Sarasota: District 3 school board candidates Tom Edwards, the incumbent, former nonprofit executive Greg Wood and retired IT professional Thomas Babicz talk about their backgrounds and what they’d like to accomplish if elected. If no one wins more than 50 percent of the vote in the Aug. 20 primary, the top two vote-getters advance to the Nov. 5 runoff. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Escambia: A federal judge has denied a request to shield district officials from testifying in a lawsuit about their decisions to remove and restrict school library books. But U.S. Magistrate Judge Zachary Bolitho also said the school board can file a revised request. News Service of Florida. Four schools have new principals this academic year, which begins Aug. 12. Amy Gordon takes over the leadership at Pensacola High School, Nicole Ard Everette at Myrtle Grove Elementary, Melanie McElhaney at Pine Forest High, and Stephen Brooks at George Stone Technical College. Pensacola News Journal.
Leon: Incumbent Superintendent Rocky Hanna is being challenged on the ballot this year by Genleah “Star” Swain, a former elementary school principal at Florida A&M University Developmental Research School, and Chiles High School principal Joe Burgess. The candidates discuss their qualifications for the job, what they consider the most important issues in the district, and what they’d like to accomplish if elected. If no one wins more than 50 percent of the vote in the Aug. 20 primary, the top two vote-getters advance to the Nov. 5 runoff. The Panhandle Press.
Santa Rosa: Four new principals will greet students when classes resume Aug. 12. They are Monica Garcia at Gulf Breeze Elementary School, Audrey Goodwin at Holley-Navarre Primary School, Trish Johnson at East Milton Elementary, and Ryan Stokes at Avalon Middle. Pensacola News Journal.
Alachua: District 4 school board candidates Leanetta McNealy, the incumbent, and Lew Welge answer questions about their qualifications, the biggest challenges for the district, how they would improve literacy, and more. Gainesville Sun. Christine Higgins has been appointed as principal at Saint Patrick Interparish School in Gainesville. WCJB.
Bay: The relaxation of the school dress code instituted after Hurricane Michael in 2018 is no more. This year, students will be required to wear uniforms with the approved school colors. Shirts will reflect the school color and can be either a polo or button-up style with a collar, or students can wear school-approved T-shirts. The bottoms can be skirts or slacks, in black, khaki or blue denim, and all students must wear closed-toed shoes. WMBB.
Flagler: District 5 school board candidate Lauren Ramirez talks about her background and preparation to be a board member, her plans for improving the state grade for the district to an A from its current B, her vision for public education, and more. Her opponent in the Aug. 20 primary is Vincent Sullivan. Flagler Live.
Gadsden: Certified teachers are being offered $5,000 to $10,000 to teach certain subjects and in certain schools in the district this year. Preschool, grades K-6, English, special ed, math, science and social studies teachers are needed at Munroe, Chattahoochee and Stewart Street elementary schools, Havana Magnet, Carter-Parramore Academy, West Gadsden and Shanks Middle, and Gadsden County High. “Everyone we hire must be certified,” said Superintendent Elijah Key. “The problem that we have in Gadsden County is many individuals are out of field.” WTXL.
Colleges and universities: The University of South Florida’s Morsani College of Medicine has been rated the best in the state by U.S. News & World Report. USF was the only state college to make it into the top half of evaluated schools in both primary care and research rankings. Palm Beach Post.
BOE considers NIL: At its Wednesday meeting, Florida’s Board of Education will consider approving a proposal to allow high school athletes to be compensated for the use of their names, images and likenesses in commercials, sponsorships and endorsement deals. The Florida High School Athletic Association approved the proposal last month. Parents would negotiate contracts, student-athletes would not permitted to use a school’s uniform, equipment, logo or name in any deal without written consent, and no deals promoting drugs, alcohol or firearms would be permitted. If the BOE approves the proposed new FHSAA bylaw, it will go into effect immediately. News Service of Florida. Orlando Sentinel. On Monday, the FHSAA amended its bylaws on NIL collectives to make them consistent with rules by 37 other states that have approved NIHL deals for high school athletes. Florida Times-Union.
New education laws: Laws deregulating public schools, expanding school choice and improving school safety are among those in effect for the coming school year. Here’s a look at how they would affect parents and students. Pensacola News Journal. Records show that some parts of the new laws were written by Republican donors, for-profit companies and conservative activists. Seeking Rents.
Florida enrollment: Public school enrollment will grow by 0.5 percent this coming school year and 0.7 percent for the 2025-2026 academic year, according to economists from the Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research. Enrollment is down 3 percent since before the pandemic, as more students are using vouchers to attend private schools or home-schooling. The Center Square.
Helping homeless students: Florida has just over two months remaining to spend $18.9 million in federal funds approved three years ago to help homeless students. Florida has spent 60 percent of the funds it received from the American Rescue Plan. The deadline to spend the rest is Sept. 30. WUSF.
Around the nation: In her 2020 campaign for the presidency, Democrat Kamala Harris advocated for universal preschool, free college, funding increases for Title I schools and the Head Start program, and $13,500 raises for every teacher by the end of her first term. She’s also been a critic of conservatives “attacking” public education. Education Week. Establishing universal school vouchers, boosting parental rights in education and promoting “patriotic” standards for civics education are among the ideas adopted in Florida that Republicans say they want to take nationwide. Those and other policies are in line with the party’s position on individual autonomy, said Florida Policy Institute senior policy analyst Norín Dollard. Axios. Eighth-graders are a year behind where they should be academically because of the pandemic, according to an analysis of NWEA testing results. Chalkbeat.
Opinions on schools: Rarely does a day go by in which I don’t come across yet another would-be Cassandra predicting the death of public education. Lacking telepathic powers, I can never be sure whether those making these claims are either misinformed or aiming to misinform others. Matthew Ladner, NextSteps. We hope the University of Florida trustees will be as generous in supporting other faculty and staff facing family health issues as they likely are going to be for outgoing president Ben Sasse, who is resigning to help care for his ailing wife and will teach at the school. Judith Wilde and James Finkelstein, Tampa Bay Times.
